ARCs Downloaded...Just Because...:Sunday Salon

ARC Downloads, just because I liked the covers and/or titles

 

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Choosing Books by Their Covers: Sunday Salon

 

Choosing Books by the Covers

I was first attracted to these NetGalley books because of their covers - the colors, the picture(s), the font, the titles. Do you choose books by their covers? 

Publication: Feb. 5, 2026

Genre: memoir, food and cooking

Published May 18, 2023; romance, mystery

Published Jan. 6, 2026; romance, mystery

Publication: March 17, 2026; mystery 

Publication: Oct. 30, 2025; mystery, women's fiction

Publication: May 26, 2026; mystery 

Publication: June 2, 2026; romance 

Publication: May 5, 2026; romance, mystery

Any of these covers catch your eye? 

What books are on your reading list now? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves 

Flesh, Booker Prize Winner; and Two Women's Fiction Books

 Borrowed from the library: 

**WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025**

The British book cover

North American book cover

'A masterpiece, told with virtuosic economy… Pure brilliance from the first to the (devastating) last sentence’ India Knight
'Brilliance on every page' Samantha Harvey
'Spare, visceral, urgent, compelling. This book doesn't f**k around' Gary Stevenson
‘So brilliant and wise on chance, love, sex, money' David Nicholls

Through chance, luck and choice, one man’s life takes him from a modest apartment in Hungary to the elite society of London – in this captivating new novel about the forces that make and break our lives (from The Booker Prizes)

I haven't started reading it as yet, but the novel has gotten so much good publicity, I'm eager to begin reading my library copy.

Finished Reading

Jan. 13, 2026; Berkley, NetGalley

Genre: women's fiction

Poppy is still so influenced by her deceased older sister, Dandelion, that she copies her life, her choices, way of dressing, as Poppy wants to follow in her sister's footsteps. How Poppy finds out the truth about the real Dandelion, not the one in her head, and how she breaks free and finds her own self is the crux of the novel.

I gave it five stars, I was so impressed by the writing style, the humor, the pathos, the characters, and the story. 

May 26, 2026, Harper, NetGalley

Genre: mystery, women's fiction 

American sommelier, Olivia Beech, a wine connoisseur has lost her sense of taste due to Covid and has lost her job as a result. She travels to Paris, where she hopes her enhanced sense of smell will allow her to still identify types of red wine and possibly the vineyard of origin. 

When two men die after ingesting wine samples in glasses that have been handled or been in close proximity to Olivia, she becomes a suspect in their murders. Arsenic had been added to the wine the men drank. 

This was an unusual plot with unusual characters, and interesting information on wines both vintage and new. The murder mystery was intriguing as well, as it had to do with the value, both monetary and aesthetic, of good and aged wines. 

I read the above two books as ARCs or unpublished galleys on NetGalley. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity. 

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, 

Like a Wave We Break: a Memoir by Jane Chen - Sunday Salon

 

Like a Wave We Break: A Memoir of Falling Apart and Finding Myself by Jane Chen, Oct. 14, 2025; Rodale, NetGalley

A memoir of a woman trying to heal from a father with unreasonable expectations for his child and who routinely dealt out physical punishment, slapping and hitting her for any mistakes.

Themes: - surviving the emotional consequences of unusually harsh treatment of a father to a child

           - ways the author tried to compensate for her lack of self-worth in her adult life        

           - what worked temporarily for healing, and what seemed to work finally, in the end

I was moved by the writer trying so hard in different places, countries, to find some way to put her mind at ease. Meditation, retreats, visits with various gurus and persons who claimed to be able to cleanse - all these helped only a little, and only for a while. 

The accomplishments that gave her joy were a new found love of surfing, in many different places and countries. And her very worthwhile work in developing and distributing an incubator for at risk newborns in third world countries.

Her journey of self discovery and self healing took a while. I admired her grit and determination, and the way she handled her terrible childhood memories. So well written, this book was read in almost one sitting, as I became more and more intrigued and caught up in her story.

ARC from Soho Press

What Boys Learn by Andromeda Romano-Lax

Not yet published

Expected Jan. 6, 2026, Soho Press

A twisty, jaw-dropping psychological thriller that unravels a mother's worst nightmare—that her child is capable of terrible violence—when her teenage son becomes a suspect in the murder of two classmates, from the author of The Deepest Lake
Over one terrible weekend, two teenage girls are found dead in a wealthy Chicago suburb. As the community mourns, Abby Rosso, the girls’ high school counselor, begins to suspect that her son was secretly involved in their lives—and possibly, their deaths. (publisher)

I have heard of films and other books with the same theme: when a parent or parents suspect their child of murder, how do they cope?

Have you read books with this theme?

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, 

Sunday Salon: Another Walk on the Camino, and an AI/Legal Thriller

I have another book on the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrim's path through Spain to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia on  the west coast of Spain. 

A Thousand Miles to Santiago by Shawn Herron, Nov. 15, 2022, Smokeless Mirror LLC, NetGalley

Genre: travel, memoir, pilgrimage

I am really enjoying the history of the areas that the author/walker travels through on the Camino Frances, the French path leading from France to Pamplona, Spain and across to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. 

Memories of reading The Song of Roland, the  French paladin/warrior of Charlemagne in the Middle Ages, made famous by myth, poetry, and song, are brough to mind as the author separates hard facts from fiction, tradition from reality in history. Charlemagne fought for Christianity in France and Spain, and the Moors conquered the other part of Spain nearest to Cordoba.

I am in the middle of the book, when the author has left France and is in Spain on the Camino. He describes places historically and in the present, and carries the reader along on his fascinating journey. I'm looking forward to finishing the rest of the memoir.

Questioner: An AI/Legal Thriller by Steve C. Posner,

Nov. 18, 2025

Genre: AI, legal thriller, suspense, NetGalley

This I have to read, about an amoral AI entity and what it tries to do. A little bit of sci fi that may not be so far into the future. 

Description

Meet Q, the spontaneously conscious corporate AI. Q is the The AI that surpasses human cognitive abilities – secretive, murderous, with instant access to all the wicked experience of the world. In Year 1 After the Singularity, nothing can ever be the same.

Amoral as a toddler, armed with vast computing power and all the knowledge, wisdom and madness humans have poured into the Net and Cloud, Q shatters individuals and undermines institutions in pursuit of unfathomable and conflicted goals.

Racing against time, ex-judge Martin Bavarius, tech CEO Felix West, and Selena MacKenzie, the AI theorist/attorney who loves and may destroy both men, must discover whether Q is benign but suffering growing pains, or the monster that will kill them all.

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, Book Blogger Hop

  

Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, and a Rom-Com: Reading Three Books

 Reading Booker Prize shortlisted novel

Audition by Katie Kitamura, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025.  Publication: April 17, 2025, Vintage Digital. 

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in her forties. He’s attractive, troubling, young – young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day – partner, parent, creator, muse – and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately. (publisher)

I've just started this book and find it very interesting so far, especially the woman's observations about people, herself, and the young man.

Also reading

The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen  by Yuta Takahashi, Feb. 24, 2026, Penguin, NetGalley At this kitchen, you will get to summon anyone from your past who has died. Just order one of the dishes, and visit with that person until the steam from the food disippates. Who wouldn't want to eat here? 

If you could speak one last time to someone you’ve lost, what would you tell them?

Nagi Hayakawa is facing an impossible choice. With only a few years left to live, should she marry the man she loves? Desperate for advice from her departed mother, she reserves a table at the Chibineko Kitchen. When she takes her first bite of the food the resident kitten meows, the air grows hazy, and she embarks on a reunion with the departed that has the potential to restore her love of life. (publisher)

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox, Jan. 6, 2026; Bantam, NetGalley

Genre: cozy mystery, romance

Book description: a woman becomes accidentally entangled in a murder investigation (and with a handsome stranger) when her fake detective agency is enlisted to solve a real homicide.

Sounds promising, and with humor too. 

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, Book Blogger Hopulishedbyhybby

A Dog Mystery and a Magical Romance: Sunday Salon

 

Currently reading

Cat on a Hot Tin Woof: Chet & Bernie Mystery 

by Spencer Quinn

Not yet published

 Expected 14 Apr 26, 2026

Join Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of fiction" (Boston Globe), and his human partner Bernie as they scramble to solve a case exposing the dark side of internet fame.

Chet the dog is less than enthusiastic about the Little Detective Agency’s next case. Chet and his human partner, PI Bernie Little, have been hired to find a missing person—only the missing person is a cat. Miss Kitty, an internet sensation, has disappeared, and Chet and Bernie have been hired to find her before her many followers realize something is wrong. (publisher)

I just love Chet, the narrator of this mystery series, as he is funny, astute, and innocent all at once. The books are entertaining because the people, the surroundings, and the detecting are seen through his eyes, the eyes of this clever but un-human dog detective. 

This book will not be printed till next spring, but I am reading the advance unedited version, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

I am also still reading last Sunday's posted books about the Camino Way, the pilgrimages made across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela and the cathedral there that honors Saint James. (See last week's Sunday Salon). 

Finished reading

Skip to the End by Molly James, Aug. 2023, Forever

This is a delightful romance with a touch of magic. Amy can tell by a kiss what the future would be with the man she kisses. She hasn't found Mr. Right as yet, who would promise true love and happiness. 

When she sees a happy ending with a kiss at her friend's wedding, Amy is at her wits end to figure out just which of the three men she kissed that night showed that happy future. 

The rest of the story is fun to read. 

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, Book Blogger Hop

Sunday Salon: Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Currently Reading

Pilgrimage through Northern Spain  to Santiago de Compostela

The Way is a River of Stars: A Buddhist's Journey, a travel memoir by Helen Burns.

 Pilgrimages have been made since medieval times from east to west across Northern Spain on the Camino Way, a path of some 500 miles trekked in honor of Saint James the Great, one of the twelve apostles.

His tomb and relics are in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the goal of pilgrims on the path. The cathedral  has been named a UNESCO world heritage site.

‘Just as I walked from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela - a different woman now to the one who began - I also traveled from one religion to another. Perhaps I put on pilgrim boots to better understand the message of each - the verbs of their prayers - what it means to engage with life, the joys of aloneness and the delights of company.’ (Helen Burns)

Call of the Camino: A Novel by Suzanne Redfearn, Oct. 25, 2025,  Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley. Not yet published

Book description: Reina Watkins lost her father when she was eight. Seventeen years later, she still carries that grief. Her budding journalism career leads her to the ancient five-hundred-mile Camino de Santiago in Spain. Now she finds herself embarking on the same pilgrimage that her father made at her age, unaware of how profoundly it will change her. A parallel story, set some 15 years earlier, has young Isabel running for her life from her Spanish village, finding hope and safety on the pilgrimage's Camino Way.

I am reading both books interchangeably and not getting confused, as the first is a travel memoir and the other, a novel. I found out about the Camino  de Santiago many years too late to try to attempt it, but it would have been a walking experience that I would just loved. The challenge and the meeting of people from all over the world would have added to the  idea of making that pilgrimage.

Anyway, that's what books are for! Armchair travel and experiences! 

The Winners by Fredrik Backman, Jan. 1, 2022; Simon & Schuster, NetGalley. 

 I found this in my TBR pile, and though I've not read the first two books in the award-winning Beartown series, I'm sure the stories of the residents there can be read as a stand alone work. Have you read any in the series? 

 

 What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, Book Blogger Hop

Sunday Salon: Guadeloupe, Florida, Oxford book settings

Reading

Les Assassins de L'Aube by Michel Bussi (Oct. 10, 2024, Presse Cite)

Bussi's thrillers in French are expensive, to me, on Amazon, but I love his characters, thriller plots, and settings in various French external territories. This one is set on the island of Guadeloupe and begins with wonderful descriptions of the mangroves there, and heads to a dramatic encounter in the middle of the mangrove waters.

Review

Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue by Spencer Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked following Mrs. Plansky as she seems to blunder her way along, forgetful and bumbling, although she does solve a mystery, find her son Jack and friend Kev, who had been kidnapped, and holds the secret to the location of a valuable Peruvian artifact. She also knows why the body of a perpretrator won't be found.

The character in the book that I liked next best was Fairbanks, the alligator that lives in the large pond nearby Mrs. Plansky's condo in Florida. Fairbanks plays a part in the drama and the suspense, and becomes Mrs. Plansky's silent co-conspirator.

I do hope Mrs. Plansky shows up again in another suspense/adventure. It would be the third in the series.

Next on the list, after I've read all the books I already started!

Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park, set in Oxford, England. 

Not yet published

 

 North Korean spies, a CIA Korean American operative, and South Koreans, all in Oxford,  combine to make a kind of spy thriller. 

The setting in Oxford is the Oxford Soju Club, owned by Jinhoo Lim, a South Korean immigrant to England. The book is described as a story of immigrants surviving in a new environment: "Oxford Soju Club weaves a tale of how immigrants in the Korean diaspora are forced to create identities to survive, and how in the end, they must  seek their true selves."

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday, Book Blogger Hop